TIBETAN MASTIFF ~ The vanishing Canine Heritage of the Himalayas
- By Jay Singh
‘The Tibetan Mastiff belongs to great antiquity. Speculations are that their forebears
originated long before the dawn of Christian era. The oldest written record found in the
Chinese literature suggests the existence of a prototype of the breed in Tibet as far back as
1125 B.C. Ancient Greek philosophers and the Romans were aware of the breed in Tibet and
have recorded them in their literature as the ancestor of the Molossus dogs. Many canine
writers have held the Tibetan Mastiff as the progenitor of Mastiffs. But this is not borne out
by history or any scientific discovery. The evolution of the breed being in the remote
antiquity mystery still surrounds the time and place of their origin. However, the Tibetan
Mastiff undoubtedly originated in Tibet and existed there since time immemorial. Professor
H. Kraemer also states that these dogs were indigenous to Tibet and existed in Tibet since
2500 to 3000 years ago.
Of the many hypothesis advanced by the canine historians we find one theory more plausible
and logically sound. According to this theory the ancestors of the Tibetan Mastiff originated
in the mountain region of Anatolia and reached Tibet where they gave rise to the Tibetan
Mastiff. Although this theory seems to rely mostly on the discovery of bas-relief in Assyria
of gigantic dogs hunting large animals we cannot refute it in the light of the close
evolutionary link between man and the domesticated dog and the profound influence of
geography in their evolution, From this we can deduce a scenario leading to the birth of the
Tibetan Mastiffs ancestor. “When the Paleolithic hunter/gatherer moved from caves to
settlements during the late Neolithic Period, he started taming farm animals and practiced
agriculture. In his newfound culture the farmer's life was exposed to frequent attacks of the
predators and robbers. Without the help of dog man would not have evolved in many parts of
the world. Therefore, to protect his life and property from their menace the hunter/farmer
needed large/powerful dogs, which he produced by selective breeding of hunting dogs. So
evolved the herdsman dog (the early ancestor of the Tibetan Mastifi).”
On the evolution of the herdsman dog Prof, Fredric von Schulmuth writes” the various sites
where the hunter/farmer lived gave up bones of dogs having heavy heads, large bones and
Jong legs, the skull both long and wide and back fairly long and size 25 — 30 inches.” He
further concluded that these dogs descended from another type of original dog, possibly
wolf,
Prof. Theodor Studer of Berne corroborates the role of wolf in the development of early
farmer's dog. He theorizes that the larger and stronger herdsman dog (Canis Familiares Inos
tranzewi) was derived by crossing Canis Poutiatini (the first domesticated dog dating back to
12000 years ago) with wolf.
‘The most likely place of origin of the herdsman dog is in South-west Asia around regions
where agriculture first started. From there they spread to other regions along the migration
routes of the people, Skulls of c.f. Inostranzewi were found in Russia and Swiss Lake
‘dwellings. Studer placed the Swiss Lake discoveries belonging to Bronze Age in Europe
(3000 years ago) while that of Russia much older. Of the Swiss Lake dwelling dogs Studer
considered they were not locally bred but taken from Asia. But no evidence was found of
their being the Tibetan MastiffS that accompanied the classical traders of the East and the
Mongol invaders as suspected by some writers. The oldest relics of Bronze Age dogs werefound in a place east of the southern point of the Caspian Sea and were accurately calculated
as belonging to 8000 years ago.
Stretched from the Himalayas in the East to the Pyrinees in West, lies the Great Central
Spine (chain of mountains). Along this mountain chain in niches of similar ecology are
found large, sturdy breeds possessing attributes common with mastiff. Like the Tibetan
‘Mastiff they guard the shepherds’ flocks. Conditioned by local climate they had evolved
individually independent of each other. There is no evidence of their direct link. Most
probably their common ancestors were the herdsman dogs that traveled west with the
migrating people. The theory of the canine writers that these dogs are the scions of the
Tibetan Mastiff does not hold. The trader/invader theory is unfounded.
The herdsman dogs that migrated East with the nomadic herders reached the Himalayan
Mountains of Tibet, where they crossed with the Tibetan wooly wolf, Canis Lupus Chanco.
From them were bom a unique breed of dogs of great power and beauty. The Tibetan
nomads called them Tseng-Kyi (Zang-Kyi — J.Taring, Tibet Journal). They were the true
Tibetan Mastiffs that guarded the herds of the nomads for thousands of years in the high
mountains of Tibet and the Himalayas. Whether the wolf crossing was accidental or took
place by deliberate intervention of man we have no clue. However, the Tibetan Mastiff
shows no specialization to evidence man’s interference in its evolution since the time of its
ancestor,
‘The nomads of Tibet lived a solitary life in the high mountains of Tibet with their yak herds
and dogs. The dogs had little contact with outside visitors but were in constant engagement
with the predators in the course of their duty. This made them highly territorial, fierce and
unfriendly with strangers, which we misunderstand as their incurable trait and become
apprehensive of the dog. Proper upbringing makes them perfectly social, especially with
women and children.
In the harsh climate of the hostile mountains of Tibet, nature selected the survival of only
sturdy men and animals. Weaker dogs of slight build descended to places situated at lower
altitudes and degenerated. By crossing with inferior dogs they produced derivatives, which
are known as Do-Kyis. The derivatives shared some of the characteristics of the Tseng-Kyis
One of them was the nomadic habit, which made them range long distances. In order to
contain them from wandering they had to be tied. Therefore, they were given the name Do-
Kyi, meaning the dog that had to be kept tied. Any large dog that guards the entrance to
premises are called Do-Kyi. Hence, it is wrong to use it as a substitute for pure Tibetan
Mastiff. The F.C.I. is misled in this respect.
Hundreds of years of separation from their rootstock and uncontrolled breeding have
changed the morphology of the derivatives. The pure Tibetan Mastiffs are identified from the
derivatives by having massive head and neck, pronounced occiput, strong squarish muzzle
with well defined stop, half- way between nose tip and the highest point of the head, hanging
lips, eyes small and sunken. The color of the eyes must be dark brown. Blue-eyed Tibetan
Mastiff is a freak. Ears are heart shaped, covered with short silky hairs. The body should be
moderately long and well substanced with strong boned legs and well-arched, compact cat
paws. The color of the Tibetan Mastiff is black with or without tan markings of various
shades from red brown to dark yellow and cream in legs and face. Two brown spots over the
eyes are desirable. Golden and grey dogs are acceptable, but gray should not be confused
with blue and encouraged. It is the least desirable color in Tibetan Mastiff. White except, asa small star on the chest is a fault, Tail should be heavily plumed carried over the back. This
is the blueprint of a pure Tibetan Mastiff.
Writers and breeders have always debated the height of the dog since early days. People who
observed the dog casually have exaggerated its size. But no one has ever taken its accurate
measurement, Max Siber, a Swiss dog writer who comprehensibly described the dog in his
book, "Der Tibethund" states the height as 35.5 inches and weight 200 Ibs. How he deduced
this size is not clear as he did not write this book on firsthand knowledge of the dog. The
ideal height of the Tibetan Mastiff is found in the old English Breed Standard drawn by
Lionel Jacob in India during early colonial days. The size is obsession of modern breeders.
But size alone does not make a Tibetan Mastiff pure unless it possesses other essential
diagnostic features as well.
The modem history of the breed began when Marco Polo mentioned the dog in the account
of his journey to China in the 13° century. This brought the dog to the notice of the West.
But inexplicably for another 500 years we find no mention of the dog outside its homeland.
Around 1800 when the western travelers and explorers began to foray the mystic land of the
Lamas they unavoidably encountered these dogs in the high flung mountains of the
Himalayas and Tibet. They were so fascinated by the awe of these dogs that we hardly find
an account on Tibet and surrounding regions without reference to these dogs. Although some
were written only on hearsay they did not fail to inspire the imagination of the western dog
enthusiasts
When Max Siber wrote his book in 1897, some Tibetan Mastiff had already reached the
West. According to Gordon Bennett, an English dog writer, a couple of Tibetan Mastifts
(probably the first to reach the Europe) were kept at the menagerie of the London Tower in
1830.
In 1847, Lord Hardinge, the Viceroy of India presented a Tibetan Mastiff to Queen Victoria,
We also find a record of two such dogs shown by Prince of Wales (later King Edward VID)
in Alexandria Palace Show in 1875. The best specimen to reach England is said to be a dog
acquired by a British Officer during Francis Younghusband’s expedition to Lhasa in 1904.
Inma Bailey, wife of the British Resident in Katmandu (1916-1918) took a few dogs to
England for breeding. Occasionally, British Officers returning home from India also took
these dogs with them to England. Besides these dogs other had also found their way to
Europe.
‘The British Royalties who visited Nepal in earlier days as guests of the Ruling Ranas to
participate in their infamous tiger hunts had received these dogs as gift and took them to
England. But none of these dogs thrived long enough to establish their breed in the west. By
the close of the Second World War the Tibetan Mastiff existed only in the literature in the
west.
In the post-war period during the political developments of nineteen fifties in Tibet the
Chinese Army carried out mass extermination of dogs. All large dogs were considered
unnecessary as they consumed the scarce food of Tibet in those days. The Tibetan Mastiff
because of its size and intense dislike of the military uniform were specially targeted and
systematically destroyed. The shepherds, in the remote mountain regions of Tibet and theHimalayas, preciously hid a few that survived. They were rarely seen elsewhere. Instead, the
derivatives that were widely distributed were passed on as pure specimen
‘The new era of the Tibetan Mastiff began when they made their appearance in America and
Europe in carly 1970's. The sources of these dogs used as the founding stocks were never
revealed. Many of them did not appear to be genuine Tibetan Mastiff. Prior to 1973, we
know nothing of any pure dogs taken abroad from this region. But we do know of a pair of
pure Tibetan Mastiff presented to President Eisenhower by the Goverment of Nepal,
1958. They were sent by error as Tibetan Terrier, But the dogs that appeared in America
later were definitely not the descendants of these dogs. After the Nepal Kennel Club was
established in 1973 some documented dogs bred out of the pure remnants were sent to
Europe. But they failed to establish pure lines as they were commercially exploited by
crossing with questionable dogs and derivatives. Therefore, a great divergence of types is
seen in these dogs as breeders and Clubs are divided. Untypieal new breeds of Tibetan
Mastiff are emerging in many countries,
There are specialty clubs in Great Britain, Switzerland, Germany, Holland and breeding
kennels galore. These countries claim to possess thousands of Tibetan Mastifis in spite of the
fact that true Tibetan Mastiffs have become rare and are in the brink of extinction. Their
“Long Pilgrimage’ is coming to an end.
The pure Tibetan Mastiff is one of the most magnificent dogs of awesome beauty and
personality. It is an honor to own them.
‘Tibetan Mastiff "Tuebo"
Photo — Bred by the Author
WORLD CHAMPION
1979 Beme, 1980 Verona, Italy
1981 Antwerp, Belgium,